The best way to get a feel for our school is to come and see it in action but we’re always pleased when others take the time to visit and share their thoughts.
We’ve been delighted to welcome visitors from a range of publications in recent years. Here is just a small selection of the kind words they’ve shared about The Oratory Prep School.
This small Oxfordshire prep makes no apology for making kindness the beating heart of school life – and what a beautiful butterfly effect this has. The warmth and good manners of everyone create such a relaxed and happy environment that it’s impossible not to feel completely at ease inside the glorious 65-acre campus. It’s the perfect space for young minds to flourish, and with pupils’ curiosity piqued at every step of their educational journey – there’s even an actual ‘corridor of curiosity’ complete with code-breaking boxes, plasma balls and distorting mirrors – Oratory Prep girls and boys can’t help but gain heaps of self-confidence, a strong moral compass and bags of enthusiasm for learning.
An easy drive from Oxford, the school sits between the villages of Goring and Woodcote in stunning countryside, with the picturesque, half-timbered main school building overlooking endless pitches, Astros, courts and a wonderful forest school that every pupil attends all the way through to Year 8. A warren of corridors and classrooms makes the large school building feel like the family home it used to be, while the separate pre-prep’s low-level buildings, with plans to refurbish the Old Barn, offer the perfect start for nursery-age children.
Charismatic and outgoing, Andrew De Silva is always at the gate every morning with his Labradoodle Elgar, greeting pupils and parents, and taking the time to chat with everyone he meets. He’s definitely one of the most on-it heads we’ve met, and charmingly quirky – his office shelves are filled with Lego models that pupils are allowed to play with, and there’s a grand piano in there on which he knocks out tunes, often singing along (he was a schoolboy chorister). He and Elgar have their own Instagram account, Doodle and the Headmaster.
Mr De Silva joined the school in 2022 from St Edward’s Canterbury, and he has also held three state-school headships. He tells us he sees few differences between the state and private sectors – both are striving to prepare children for real life. ‘These children are the role models of the future, and they need to boss it,’ he says. He encourages staff to think like a child; he doesn’t want children to fear adults – our pupil guides tell us that relationships with teachers are stronger than ever and they all feel happier and more supported since his arrival. For his part, Mr De Silva is proud of how the children embody the school virtues of being wise, kind and curious, and aren’t afraid of making mistakes and learning from them.
The school is non-selective and officially Catholic, but all or no faiths are welcome. Since Mr De Silva took over the headship in 2022, the school has been growing year on year by 10 per cent, and it’s on the cusp of needing another reception class. It was heavily oversubscribed this year, and enquiries are already outpacing last year’s. From reception upwards, all prospective pupils come in to school for a taster day and interview with the head, and from Year 2 they are asked to sit a CAT4 assessment. There is some testing of cognitive ability to ensure a fit but, says Mr De Silva, ‘we are not a school for alphas. Children who do not seem kind won’t get a place – we look for children who will contribute to the school.’
Set within its own pocket of the Oratory campus, the pre-prep runs from nursery (based in the Little Oaks building) through kindergarten and Reception to Year 2. The ethos here is about stretching rather than stressful, which means top-notch pastoral care (the department has its own learning support teacher) and days filled with fun activities that lay the groundwork for learning.
Mornings begin with a prayer, exercise and an assembly followed by, in Reception, Years 1 and 2, lessons in English and maths (as well as science, music, PE and dance). Everyone has the chance to take part in forest school and more specialist teaching is added as children move up the years. Lunch is home-cooked (we hear that fish and chip Friday is a favourite); and the whole pre-prep relay, where mixed-age and ability teams compete, is a highlight of sports day.
Curiosity is the cornerstone of learning here, from the black, LED-lit corridor of curiosity to tackling topics through enquiring questions – such as ‘Was the role of women as important as men’s during the Second World War?’ – rather than teachers telling pupils what’s what. Everything is approached through curiosity. When it comes to AI, for example, it is being embraced as a tool to support human intelligence, with a new innovation lab opening soon to maximise its potential but also to teach pupils about the negatives.
Mr De Silva wants learning to be enjoyable, not something to be feared. The approach is bearing fruit; last year there was very positive feedback from senior schools, reporting that pupils are arriving academically strong and confident. Pupils sit Common Entrance in maths, English and science and roughly follow the CE syllabus in other subjects. Mr De Silva teaches Year 5s non-verbal reasoning, ethics and philosophy as part of their future schools programme. He is deeply involved in ensuring every child gets into the right senior school, meeting with families and speaking to senior admissions teams on a weekly basis. Invariably, pupils get into their first choices, such as Abingdon, Wellington, Downe House, Sherborne and The Oratory. It’s a wide range of destinations; in fact, last year no more than two pupils went to any one school, with 36 per cent winning scholarships and exhibitions.
There’s an inclusive attitude to sport, with every child in Years 3 to 8 getting match experience in games from rugby, netball and cricket to football, hockey and tennis. Since director of sport Ben Bentley arrived two years ago, fixtures have multiplied. Mr Bentley also has an eye for talent, and more senior schools are now visiting the school on the lookout for potential sports scholars. Cross-country is run around the school’s own forest, and there’s an indoor pool where pupils do swimming throughout the year.
Music and drama are also strong. We were treated to an impromptu performance of Elgar’s ‘Ave Verum Corpus’ by a few members of the chamber choir (accompanied on piano by Mr De Silva) in the school’s lovely theatre. They were good! There are several choirs and an invitational orchestra too. Around a third of pupils do LAMDA lessons; they achieved an impressive 62 distinctions in exams last year. The art rooms were gloriously messy, with some impressive work on display. Pupils love the subject and the art club, called Creative Chat, is very popular, as are football and rowing clubs and ‘relaxed’ swimming.
A new head of boarding, Leanne Spencer, has been revitalising the school’s offering, which can be anything from full to weekly to flexi. Full boarders include a mix of international and military-family pupils – there are 26 at the moment, with 30 flexi boarders. Pupils can board from Year 3, and dorms are split into junior and senior. As well as Ms Spencer, there is an all-day nurse and four live-in gappies. A big shared common room has a huge TV screen, with a games room to the side that has table football, snooker and games consoles. There’s also a small kitchen area.
On Saturday mornings, Year 5 to 8 boarders take part in the enrichment Newman Programme, which is also open to day pupils. Varied activities include Warhammer, frisbee and talks from guest speakers. The pupils also publish their own newspaper. Sundays are for outings – bowling, laser tag and graffiti-art workshops are just a few. And in the evenings, they do karaoke, bake or watch a film.
Pastoral care is exceptional, with a school-wide system in which every pupil has a profile to which every teacher contributes. ‘Other schools have these systems, but we actually use them,’ says Mr De Silva. ‘Niggles’ are picked up early before they grow into problems, and in the boarding house there’s a ‘worries and suggestions’ box. Parents are very much part of the school community. Mr De Silva meets families one to one to help understand their needs, and parents are involved in swimming and tennis groups. Events such as fireworks night are well attended.
A Catholic country prep where the mantra ‘Have faith in yourself’ is lived and breathed from the top down. Life skills are folded into everything here and, as a result, pupils’ success in every area is soaring. With more and more top senior schools looking to The Oratory Prep for talent, it’s definitely one to put on your shortlist.
